the joys of buying "used"

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Dmon

Dmon

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Winnipeg, Canada
I love my Baja - I've been rushing home from work to run it before it gets dark all week. But last night after dark I started some poking around....

I found that the suspension was too hard, especially in the rear. So, off comes a shock and I opened it. Side note - whatt a great design! Anyway, I've seen a lot of shock silicone oil before but this one threw me! It looks, feels and smells like engine oil,...so I assume it's 10w30 or thicker! Needless to say, I'll be off to my LHS for some nice new 20w silicone shock oil tomorrow!

I'm so glad I got this Baja.... she is a good rig and deserves to be owned by someone who likes to tinker (and that will bring her back to her former glory) LIKE ME!!! :D
 
If you look after them they will be fairly reliable in return. I bought an FG project car earlier this year - check this out for shock oil!!!!

Photo1708.webp
 
As of right now I don't race as there is no one else where I live with anything large scale. In the past, I have used various weights of engine oil, hydraulic oil, ATF, etc... for shock oil. IMO there is nothing wrong with using these types of oil. As the only difference between the "shock oil" is the additives in the oil. Silicone oil is different as the viscosity of the oil rarely changes due to heat. Now I just stick with regular motorcycle fork oil, as it is available in various weights below 25w.
 
i was racing a buddy of mine before a he kept asking me how i got my suspension working so good.......i told him i used grease. you don't have to worry about it leaking, and it works great i find. not on all vehicles but in some aplications it works.
 
Wow, something to think about. Never thought of fork oil, but since I got my Vulcan in 2000 my forks have never needed to be topped up (unlike my Harley). I think I'll pass on the grease though.... I want more responsive shocks not less. But it all depends on what you are wanting to do I guess. Thanks for the insight guys - never too old to learn. :w00t:
 
i can drop my baja from about 3 feet and it wont bounce, it just squats nicely. it don't bounce around on the bumps, it rebounds and absorbs perfectly. the only thing is that it works great in hot weather but when it gets cold the grease gets too thick. i read along time back someone doing that so i gave it a try i love the way it handles on the baja. i agree with not trying it on your motor cycle.lol
 
I picked up some 20wt fork oil today, and found that the bypass holes were almost clogged completely. As I am going to replace with the adjustable flow ones, I drilled these out to 1/16" and with the 20wt the shocks seem to be very responsive and actually flex now. As I picked up a 1 litre bottle (quart) of the fork oil, I think I am set for a while....

I also had picked up a new set of rubber socks for the shocks - good thng, I found the old ones were very stiff and hard. The shocks can move far easier now with the new rubber as well. Should have picked up new o rings as well, could have been done with the rebuild on the shocks all at once. Oh, well....
 
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